Legendary names, fateful encounters, and historical events—all these vibrant aspects of life come together in the destiny of our protagonist, like a complex symphonic score. Duisen Kuraibayevich Kassenov is a remarkable and influential figure, a man who has spent decades building bridges between cultures, uniting the Turkic world with a single artistic harmony.
As the Rector of the Kurmangazy Kazakh National Conservatory (1987–1997), Minister of Culture of Kazakhstan, Secretary General of TURKSOY (2008–2022), Honored Artist of the Republic of Kazakhstan, professor, and diplomat, he has played a pivotal role in preserving and advancing Turkic culture in its broadest sense.
In an exclusive interview with Vesti.az, Duisen Kassenov openly shares his mission, his friendship with Polad Bulbuloglu, the large-scale projects that have reshaped the cultural landscape of the Turkic world, and what it means to live not in just one country, but wherever the music of his people resonates.
- Duisen Kuraibayevich, welcome to Baku! You visit Azerbaijan frequently and have strong ties to our country. May I start by asking about the purpose of your visit?
- My mission as Secretary General of TURKSOY officially ended in March 2022. However, when your craft becomes your life's work, it does not end with a position. It becomes a part of you. Every event in the cultural life of the Turkic world continues to resonate deeply in my heart.
I came to Baku at the personal invitation of my dear friend—an outstanding artist, composer, pop singer, and People's Artist of Azerbaijan—Polad Bulbuloglu. Since I continue working on projects related to the Turkic world, I am constantly on the move, making it difficult to find me even in Kazakhstan. I am always attending various cultural events across different parts of the world. When people ask, “Where do you live permanently?” I jokingly reply, “On an airplane!” (laughs). And, in fact, that is true.
Polad Bulbuloglu invited me to a celebratory concert in Moscow dedicated to his birthday, but I couldn’t attend because my great-grandson was born. However, I could not miss the chance to personally congratulate him, which is why I am here in Baku today.
- I assume that when you were both Ministers of Culture, you and Polad Bulbuloglu had a close professional relationship. But did you have any creative interactions as two musicians?
- In those days, Polad Bulbuloglu was an outstanding figure in Soviet pop music, distinguished by his vibrant musicality and expressive singing style. His performance was incomparable—it was a gift from his father and from God. The word Bulbul means "nightingale" in all Turkic languages, which perfectly matches both his voice and his surname.
We first met in the 1990s when I was the rector of the Almaty State Conservatory. I still remember it vividly—it was 1993. That year, in Almaty, the Ministers of Culture from our countries signed the first official documents establishing TURKSOY. I always remind people of this, especially the younger generation, who may not be aware of these historical moments. Consultations and working meetings took place in Turkey and Azerbaijan.
From the Kazakh side, the documents were signed by the Minister of Culture, the outstanding Kazakh composer Erkegali Rakhmadiyev—my teacher and mentor—who invited me to this historic event. Since then, Polad Bulbuloglu and I have maintained a close relationship and friendship.
Some time later, I was appointed Minister of Culture of Kazakhstan and began actively participating in TURKSOY's work as a member of its Permanent Council, which was established in Almaty. In fact, my appointment as Secretary-General of TURKSOY in 2008 was largely thanks to Polad Bulbuloglu. I believe he saw my genuine dedication to Turkic culture and arts, which extended far beyond my official duties.
I think many people are familiar with Polad Bulbuloglu’s ballet Love and Death, which I had the privilege of presenting at the Aspendos amphitheater in Turkey. It was staged by the Sverdlovsk Theater, and its Turkish premiere was a great success. I was truly happy for Polad Bulbuloglu, as he was able to showcase his talent to the Turkic world not only as a singer and public figure but also as an exceptional composer.
- Would it be fair to say that today, you arrived in Azerbaijan not as an official, but as a close friend?
- Absolutely. Friendship is when last year, in severe frost, Polad flew through Astana to Karaganda just for one evening to celebrate my birthday with me. He knew my mother well, and I knew his. Our families were friends. At one point, I even attended his father’s anniversary celebration, and later, when I visited the museum in Shusha, which is located in his family home, I saw a photograph from that event. It was a great pleasure for me to see pictures of the outstanding musicians who had gathered for Bulbul’s anniversary. Even Heydar Aliyev himself came to congratulate him.
- Did you have the opportunity to meet him personally?
— It was at that moment that I had the privilege of meeting the great Heydar Aliyev. I was delighted to have such a rare opportunity to speak with him. As it happened, all the renowned artists who had come for Bulbul’s anniversary decided to take a short break, and I found myself alone with Heydar Aliyev in the guest room—now a palace that bears his name...
He was an extraordinary person. As we sat drinking tea and talking, time flew by unnoticed. I was curious to learn about the daily schedule of a head of state, and he described it in detail. In turn, Heydar Aliyev asked me many questions about Kazakhstan, our classical national music, theater, and cinema of the Turkic world. He especially emphasized the importance of communication among literary and artistic figures of kindred nations.
— During the Soviet era, you created an international symphony orchestra. Could you tell us more about it?
— I founded it in 1989, and it was called "InternOrchestra-89." Its members were students from conservatories across Central Asia and Kazakhstan. After a week of rehearsals, the 80-member orchestra set off from Almaty on a tour to Bishkek. From there, we continued to Tashkent, Ashgabat, and Dushanbe...
This was during the Perestroika era when the first cooperatives appeared, and the tour was fully sponsored by businessmen who were friends of the conservatory. Imagine trying to take an 80-member orchestra through five countries today—it would be incredibly difficult and expensive.
But I didn’t stop with just one orchestra. In 2007, I founded the Youth Symphony Orchestra of the CIS countries, which still exists today. Later, when I arrived in Turkey, I established a Youth Chamber Orchestra of Turkic Countries, which has since performed concerts across Europe, America, and many Turkic states.
— You have visited our liberated territories. Tell us, what does Karabakh mean to you?
— From the very beginning, it was clear that this was a long-standing injustice—an unlawful occupation of land. And we condemned it. Back then, 35 years ago, I was the rector of the State Conservatory in Kazakhstan and saw the events of the First Karabakh War as an act of barbarism, an invasion of historically Azerbaijani lands. I consider it a fundamental violation of human rights. And today, I am glad that this noble, reclaimed land is once again awaiting culture and art, just as barren soil longs for rain.
— I can’t help but ask you, as a former head of TÜRKSOY: what do you consider the organization's most significant achievements? And in your opinion, how has TÜRKSOY contributed to strengthening cultural ties among Turkic nations?
— You can determine the significance yourself: the importance of TÜRKSOY’s projects can be measured by their impact and value to society. However, I would like to highlight some of the organization’s largest initiatives, which have now become widely recognized and relevant to many people.
One of the most important projects is the "Cultural Capitals of the Turkic World" program. What makes this initiative unique is that it often selects small, lesser-known cities as cultural capitals—places rich in historical and cultural heritage. This is a very thoughtful approach.
When we, the leaders of Turkic organizations, first visited the liberated lands of Aghdam and Fuzuli, we had already begun discussing the possibility of Shusha becoming the cultural capital of the Turkic world. I even mentioned this in one of my interviews. Over time, this vision became a reality. Unfortunately, by the time of the official opening, I was no longer serving as the Secretary General of TÜRKSOY and, regrettably, was unable to take part in the celebrations.
— I would also like to remind readers that in 2016, the cultural capital of the Turkic world was the city of Sheki.
Nevertheless, I did manage to visit Shusha, and for that, I am grateful to dear Anar Muallim (Chairman of the Azerbaijan Writers' Union – ed.), who found an opportunity to invite me to the 90th anniversary of the Union. As part of this event, we traveled to Shusha—a city that has given the world many outstanding figures in culture and the arts of Azerbaijan. Some of them are among my friends: Polad Bülbüloğlu, Farhad Badalbeyli, and Rauf Aliyev.
— On September 18, 2009, the birthday of Uzeyir Hajibeyli, I attended the premiere of TÜRKSOY’s opera project "Koroghlu" at the opera theater. How did the idea for this production come about, and why was "Koroghlu" chosen?
— In my opinion, the opera "Koroghlu" is one of the greatest works of opera art in the Turkic world. That is why this project became one of the most significant for TÜRKSOY, and we were fortunate to bring it to life.
— Once again, Koroghlu is a legendary figure: Azerbaijanis, Turkmens, Kazakhs—each nation considers him their own hero. For centuries, people have composed tales, songs, and legends about him. For example, among Kazakhs, there is the "Koroghlu" kui—an instrumental piece written for the dombra.
I would also like to emphasize that the "Koroghlu" project was not only significant but also unique. Musicians from all Turkic countries participated in it, as well as artists from two republics of Russia—Bashkortostan and Tatarstan.
The premiere took place at the Opera Theater in Bishkek on September 8 and 9, 2009, after which the opera was performed in Almaty, Ankara, and Baku.
— Is it true that, in connection with the premiere of the "Koroghlu" opera in Azerbaijan, you commissioned statuettes of the legendary epic hero?
— That was our gift to Azerbaijan, specifically to your opera theater. And, of course, a separate statuette of Koroghlu was made for the esteemed President of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev. I remember the day we met with Ilham Heydarovich, and I presented him with the statuette, saying that it was a gift from our international team. To which your head of state responded: "A special thank you for 'Koroghlu'! Uzeyir Hajibeyli, like every composer, dreamed that his opera 'Koroghlu' would be successful abroad. The great Niyazi also always wanted this opera to be staged beyond Azerbaijan. You have managed to fulfill their dreams—thank you very much for that!"
Of course, I conveyed the president’s words to the participants of the project.
— What other major projects of TURKSOY would you particularly highlight?
— I could talk about them endlessly. For example, the project related to our shared holiday, Novruz, which TURKSOY elevated to a global level. For the first time in 2009, and again in 2015, Novruz Bayram was celebrated in Paris, at the UNESCO headquarters, with a delegation of over 100 participants. Novruz was also celebrated at the United Nations (UN) headquarters in 2010 and 2016. Over the years, we have marked Novruz in England, Germany, Belgium, and the Balkan countries...
— As the head of TURKSOY, you made a significant contribution to the promotion of Azerbaijani culture. Thanks to your efforts, the 100th anniversary of the operetta Arshin Mal Alan was celebrated at the UNESCO headquarters in Paris…
— Every project of ours involves the participation of all the nationalities and peoples that are part of TURKSOY. We came up with this project based on a Kazakh orchestra, supplemented by musicians from the Azerbaijani State Orchestra of Folk Instruments. For rehearsals, we gathered all the musicians in the city of Karaganda, where we held our first concert. The second concert took place in Astana, from where we flew to Paris. The concert at UNESCO headquarters was a great success. The next performance was held in Strasbourg, the capital of the European Council. The soloists in this project were renowned performers from Turkey, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan.
- You were recently elected as an ambassador of the international organization ICTMD at its General Conference. Congratulations! If possible, could you tell us more about the organization and your planned activities within it?
- First, a few words about ICTMD itself: it was founded in 1947, and its members include scholars from more than 100 countries around the world who study and promote the traditional music and dance of their respective nations. The General Conferences are held every two years in major scientific centers, capital cities, and large cities around the world, such as Glasgow, Auckland, and others.
In 2015, for the first time in the organization's history, we managed to hold a conference in one of the cities of the Turkic world—Astana. Now, as an ambassador of ICTMD, my goal is to organize a conference in Baku. Azerbaijani traditional music has long attracted the attention of scholars worldwide, and this event would provide another great opportunity for them to explore it more closely. Moreover, Azerbaijan already has experience hosting major international music conferences, such as the 2018 General Conference of another prestigious organization—ICME (International Council for Music Education). Participants still fondly recall the days they spent in Baku.
- Throughout your professional career, you have had the opportunity to meet many outstanding individuals. Which globally renowned figures in the arts and culture have you had the chance to interact with?
- Life has been fortunate for me, as my creative journey has brought me into contact with many remarkable people. I'll start with those I had the privilege of studying alongside at the Moscow Conservatory. These include violinists Viktor Tretyakov, Sergey Kravchenko, Vladimir Spivakov, Zakhar Bron, Alexander Sokolov, Bohodar Kotorovych, Arkady Sevidov, and Raimondas Katilius.
Later, while working with the Mexican Symphony Orchestra, I had the opportunity to engage with such outstanding conductors as Leonard Bernstein, Zubin Mehta, Rudolf Barshai, and Efrem Kurtz, as well as legendary soloists like Martha Argerich and Plácido Domingo.
My encounters with Mstislav Rostropovich, Krzysztof Penderecki, Tonino Guerra, Michele Placido, Chinghiz Aitmatov, Theo Angelopoulos, Olzhas Suleimenov, Valery Gergiev, Fuat Mansurov, and Myroslav Skoryk have also left an unforgettable mark on my life.
With special pride, I would like you to add to this list the names of my Azerbaijani friends: Anar, Polad Bülbüloğlu, Farhad Badalbeyli, Isa Habibbayli, and Rauf Abdullayev.
I would also like to highlight two outstanding Azerbaijani figures whom I deeply respect, though I cannot call myself their friend—composer Arif Melikov and artist Tahir Salahov, with whom I had the opportunity to converse.
I wish my friends and the entire Azerbaijani people prosperity and well-being!
— Thank you for the meeting and the interesting conversation!
